Beauty
by RoguewithRouge
Summary: Aidan Kingston had a normal life, for a rich kind...that is, until some witch turned him into a wolf.
1. Prologue

Prologue

I _used_ to be handsome.

The damn witch set me up. She told me that all the riches and beautiful women in the world would be mine, if I let her spend the night in my mansion.

I had accepted, and told her to wait a moment so I could have the maid prepare a room for her. She said she would wait outside, though I insisted she come in, out of the cold and rain.

So, she waited under the portico on the porch – it was a beautiful plantation mansion that had been restored to its former beauty – while I ran around looking for Meredith.

I must have taken too long, because by the time I found Meredith, she wasn't a middle-aged white woman, anymore. She was a Swiffer duster. My mother – a rather large woman, herself – had become a wardrobe. My father, because of his career as a chef, was then the great oven in the kitchen. As for my older brother, who was majoring in psychology, he transformed into one of the huge bookshelves in the library.

I soon realized that I had begun to change. My blond hair was turning a mousy brown and was growing longer by the second. My hands and feet transformed into paws, and my teeth became sharp.

I fell onto all fours and raced to a mirror. I looked in the mirror, and instead of seeing a boy, I saw a wolf.

I meant to scream, but instead I howled, and heard a cackling coming from the chimney.

The witch fell from the chimney into the fireplace and pointed a bony finger at me. "You have until the first day of your twenty-first December to find someone to accept you, to love you. If you don't, you'll die alone, and you'll be stuck like this for the rest of your life. Oh, and always make sure you're home before night falls. We wouldn't want anyone to see you like, well…you know." She smirked.

In a puff of purple smoke, she was gone, and my search for someone had begun.


	2. One

One

I pushed the doors to the school open and took in my "kingdom."

' _I may be cursed, but I'm still the best-looking guy here.'_ I thought to myself. I opened my locker and accidentally flung the door of it into someone's face.

"Ouch!" I spun around and saw a girl collapsed on the ground. "Oh shit, I'm so sorry." I said, offering her my hand. She took it and I helped her stand up. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I am. And if I'm not, then I'll probably be fine. It takes a lot to slow me down." She answered. I could hear the smile in her voice. "Let me make it up to you," I found myself saying.

' _You haven't even seen her face! For all you know, it could be the witch!'_ My brain yelled at me. She finally looked up at me.

The first thing I noticed was how blue her eyes were. Then, I noticed her nose, which was an adorable size, and was turned upwards just the perfect amount. Then, my eyes landed on her perfect, pink lips.

"Thanks, but I don't want to be a burden on you." She whispered, looking at her feet.

Her pastel pink sweater was a little big on her. She had paired it with a pair of black leggings, white fuzzy socks, and gray boots. She looked…kind of…adorable.

She was about a foot shorter than I was, and her hair was dirty blond.

I blushed, a little. "You won't be a burden, trust me. What's your name?" I asked, pushing her to accept my offer. "It's…" She started.

Before she could get her name out, the late bell rang and she was gone, running down the hall and leaving her locker wide open. I sighed.

' _This is harder than it looks, in the movies…'_ I thought to myself.

I went closer to her locker and noticed just how detail-oriented and organized it was. She had books on the top shelf and class binders on the bottom one.

On the spines of the binders, 'Blair Wright' was written in black Sharpie. _'So, her name is Blair? That's pretty…'_ I shut her locker, grabbed what I needed from mine, and started to sprint to class. _'I'm late…and also so screwed.'_

I dropped my stuff inside the front door as soon as I got home. "I'm home," I called out. My mother came to the top of the stairs from the guest bedroom. She was still a wardrobe, and made quite the racket whenever she moved.

"Did you find someone yet, dear?" She asked in exasperation. "I think so, but I don't know much about her." I answered as I climbed the stairs to sit next to my mother.

"Well, do you know her name," was her next question. "Her name is Blair Wright. I know that much." I replied, resting my chin on my hand. "Blair Wright? You know, she moved here when she was a little girl! Ever since then, Grey Atkinson has been after her for a date. Poor girl, having to deal with that…" My mother started.

"Sleaze-ball," I finished for her. It was probably better than what she wanted to say.

"Yes, that." She sighed. "I just can't believe he thinks he has a chance with a girl like her. She isn't like everyone else, Aidan." My mom continued.

I nodded. "That's for sure; the girl has books stacked from top-to-bottom in her locker. She must be really smart." I answered with my chin still in my hands.

"What's this? Why does my little brother look so distraught?" My brother, Allen, asked as he made his way to me and our mother. "He's got a crush on the Wright girl. But Grey Atkinson is chasing her." She answered for me.

Allen dropped a small children's book on my shoulder. I snapped my head up to look at him.

"Hey, it's the best thing I can do. It's the closest thing I can get to putting a hand on your shoulder. And if mom says that the Wright girl…" He started.

"Blair." I interrupted. Allen sighed. "If _Blair_ is different, like mom says she is, then she won't fall for Grey, like every other girl. Have some faith." He finished, walking back to his spot in the library.

"Thanks, I guess." I mumbled as I walked into my room. I shut my door just as the doorbell rang. "Aidan," Allen called out. "I know, I know. I'll get it." I called back as I flung my door open and raced down the stairs. I opened it and there stood Blair, in all of her dirty-blond-haired, blue-eyed glory.

"Oh, hi," I said awkwardly. "H-hey," she stammered. "So, uh, not to be rude, but, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, um, I just…just, uh…thought I'd introduce myself since I didn't get a chance to in the hall." She whispered. My heart raced.

She was so cute, when she whispered.

I nodded and she stuck out her hand. "I'm Blair Wright; it's nice to meet you." She said, looking me in the eye. "Aidan Kingston." I replied, taking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Aidan." She smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Blair." I smiled back. She looked like she was about to say something when her phone rang. She pulled it out and her face paled when she saw the caller-ID.

"It's my mom. I have to go." She whispered as she answered the call, waving goodbye to me. I waved back and sighed as she made her way up the driveway and down the street. I sighed and shut the door.

As soon as I did, I heard something fall in my room. I climbed the stairs and saw a figure sitting on my bed, their back facing me.

"Hello?" I called out. The figure whirled around and was suddenly in my face. It was the witch.

"Don't. Touch. My. Daughter." And with that, she disappeared.


	3. Two

Two

"She came back?" My father roared, scaring Meredith so badly, she jumped, hit a cabinet, and then hid behind a curtain. I held my head against one of my hands.

"Yes, and she told me not to touch her daughter." I answered, not even the least bit afraid of my father's booming voice.

"Well, who is her daughter, then?" My father yelled. "Blair Wright." I replied.

My dad seemed to calm down, but only a little bit. "I would much rather you date her than that Atkinson boy. He seems like trouble, and a whole lot of it." He said. I nodded in agreement.

"My only issue is that I don't want her to see what I really am. You know what happened to the last girl…" I drifted off into the memory as the last sentence escaped my mouth. My dad interrupted my thoughts. "I know, I remember. The poor girl; she thought she could handle it." He thought aloud wistfully. I sighed.

"Well, maybe it'll work out in the end. If the other girl couldn't handle you – what was her name, again?" My dad started. "Lilith," I answered, looking down at the table cloth.

"Yeah, if Lilith couldn't handle you, maybe she wasn't the one." He finished, looking quite proud of himself. I sighed, again.

"I loved Lilith…" I whispered. "And now, you're in love with Blair! It's time to get over Lilith and move on to Blair!" He yelled, obviously frustrated that I still hadn't moved on. I nodded.

"You're right, dad. It is time for me to move on." I agreed as I stood up to go to my room. "And I don't want to hear _any more_ of Lilith, am I understood?" He yelled after me.

"Yeah," I called back as I retreated into my room.

I was in the middle of researching something for class when the doorbell rang for the second time, that day.

I sighed as I heard Meredith, my mother, my father, and Allen yell for me to get it. I stood up and ran down the stairs, not noticing that night was beginning to fall.

I opened the door and, once again, there was Blair.

"There's no time to explain, just let me in." She whispered. I nodded and let her pass, shutting the door behind her.

I offered her some water and she accepted, plopping herself down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "So…why did you need to be let in, so suddenly?" I asked. She was about to answer when there were three sharp raps at the door.

I opened it, and had my question answered, immediately.

"Did you see Blair run by?" Grey asked. I shook my head. "Sorry, I haven't." I answered. He left, looking defeated.

I closed the door, but not before I finally realized the sky was almost dotted with stars. "Oh, crap…" I whispered to myself. "Blair, you need to get out of here, now." I said as I walked back into the kitchen. She looked at me, confused as to why I told her to leave.

"There isn't much time to explain. You can escape from the backyard and make it back home before it's too late at night. You just need to leave, now." I said, feeling the transformation start. She didn't question me any further. She just left.

The moment the back door shut was the moment that the transformation began to start at full force. Soon, I was a wolf with shaggy brown fur.

I curled up in a corner of the kitchen, trying to contain myself as someone banged on the door, again. "Come on, Kingston, open up! I know you're home!" It was Atkinson.

There was no way I was opening my door for him twice in one day. A low growl resonated from deep in my throat as he banged on the door, again.

He knocked harder than the last two times and something inside of me snapped. I ran to the door and pounced on it, barking and growling and snarling.

The last thing I heard before I passed out from exhaustion was Grey screaming in terror.


	4. Three

Three

I woke up the next morning on the floor with a blanket on top of me. I sat up and the blanket slipped off my shoulders.

No one I lived with had thumbs that worked. So who-

"And Sleeping Beauty arose from her peaceful slumber." A female voice narrated. You could practically hear the smile in her voice.

I looked behind me and saw Blair leaning against the banister with a cup of coffee in her hand. "How…how on earth…" I stuttered. "I picked the lock." She interrupted with a wink and a smile. My eyes grew wide. Who was this girl, really?

"You…you what," I asked, trying to process everything. She just kept smiling until she burst out laughing. "I'm completely kidding. I'm sorry I freaked you out. I knocked and the door just slipped open. So I came in with caution, just in case someone came in, during the night. And then, I looked down, saw you shivering and whimpering because you were cold, and put a blanket over you." She apologized as she sat down next to me.

I nodded. It made a lot of sense, really. Grey must've been pounding so hard on the door, the night before, that it had come a little loose and wore out the lock.

I pulled my knees to my chest.

"You didn't…didn't _see_ anything, right?" I asked. She gave me a strange look. "Besides you sleeping, no, I didn't see anything else. Why?" She questioned.

I instantly felt my face turn red and my heart speed up. She hadn't seen me in my beastly form, thank goodness.

What she _had_ seen, though, was me sleeping on the floor in my boxers.

I stood up as quickly as possible and wrapped my blanket around my waist like a towel. "You have breakfast, yet?" I asked. My face was still red.

"Yeah, I just came to get you up." She answered. She took a sip of her coffee as I poured myself some cereal. We sat at the kitchen table in complete silence, until she started sneezing.

"Bless you." She sneezed, again.

Her face had gotten pretty red and her eyes were watery. I passed her a box of tissues. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Thank you, Aidan. And yeah, I'm fine. I just have to ask, though, do you have a dog?" She said hoarsely.

My heart started to beat faster. "N-no, why do you ask?" I answered, looking around the room. "Because I'm kind of allergic to them," she said, blowing her nose, again.

"The neighbors have a dog. Sometimes she jumps on me and I pet her. Some of her fur must've transferred onto my clothes." I whispered, starting to eat. She nodded and sipped her coffee. I was taking a bite of cereal when she started talking, again.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?" She asked. I nearly choked on my cereal, imagining the conversation.

" _Oh, they're upstairs. No, you don't have to go meet them. Why? Well, you see, there's this curse…"_

Yeah, _that_ conversation would go _really_ well.

"They, uh…they left early. My dad had to go to his restaurant and my mom spent the night at the…" I started, looking at my hands as I lied through my teeth. I felt a pair of eyes on me and I looked up.

My dad was staring at me and Blair, his eyes darting back and forth between us. Blair sneezed, again, and I jumped, a little. She leaned across the table. "Hey, Aidan," she took my hand, "do you ever feel like someone is watching you?" She whispered. I shook my head, trying to reassure her.

Her blue eyes were locked on mine. She had me hypnotized.

Something really _didn't_ feel right, though. I didn't know what it was, but it felt like the witch was standing in the corner, behind me.

I drove the two of us to school, and walked Blair to her first period class.

I shut my locker with my foot – bottom lockers are the absolute worst – and headed to first period AP US History.

It wasn't my best subject, as far as grades went.

I plopped down at my desk and was pulling out my binder when someone slammed my face into the desk. I cried out in pain and raised my head to find Grey and his cronies giving each other high-fives and laughing. I glared at them and they stopped, instantly.

They rushed back to their seats and I leaned back in my chair. It was a good thing that they were scared of me. They didn't know it, but if they caught me at a bad time, I could tear them to shreds.

Five minutes after the late bell rang, Ms. Marx walked into the room, looking a bit flustered, but managing to keep it all together.

"Sorry I'm late. The before-school meeting ran a little longer than normal." She pulled up the power point with the day's notes on it and began to lecture about Andrew Jackson and the Bank of the US.


	5. Four

Four

I threw my bag down inside the door, like I'd done the previous day. I stretched out on the couch and flipped on the TV.

Whatever channel it was on was showing some reruns of a crime show. The episode had just started, so the first victim was about to get got.

Of course, it was some blond sorority girl who was alone in the house. Goodness knows where her fellow sisters were. Probably at a frat party that she'd decided not to go to.

She heard a noise from outside her window and started toward it.

I snorted. All of this was just trying to build up suspense. I'd seen scarier.

The girl on TV opened the window (shocker!) and got pulled out as she leaned over the window sill to scope out the perimeter. She screamed, at first. Then, there was a stabbing and slicing sound effect, and the camera panned in her corpse. Her throat had been slit and there was a stab wound in her side.

I shrugged and changed channels. Compared to what I'd seen, it wasn't that scary or gruesome.

I was about to change the channel, again, when someone knocked on my back door. I groaned and stood up. When I saw who it was, I opened the door.

It was Lilith.

We sat across from each other at the table. To say it felt awkward would be an understatement.

She was humming some song from the radio and looking around the kitchen. After a few minutes, she finally broke the silence.

"So, uh, how've you been?" She asked, looking at her hands. I shrugged.

I could practically _feel_ her getting sad. She was trying so hard to make conversation and I just wasn't going for it. I didn't really want to. She'd run off, screaming, once she knew what I was, even though she _promised_ she wouldn't freak out, and even though before she knew, she said she loved me, no matter what.

"Look, I don't know how to say this, but I've given it some thought, and I've decided that I really do love you; fur, claws, and all." She said, taking my hand. I pulled it away.

"Look, Lilith, I'm glad you've thought about it, but you took too long." I whispered. She looked confused. "I don't see how I could have…" She started. Then, she came to a sudden realization. "You've moved on, haven't you?" She asked, drawing back a little. I nodded, she sighed and stood up.

"I guess there's no reason for me to be here, then. Bye, Aidan, good luck with your new girlfriend." She said, somberly. Then, she left, leaving my alone in the kitchen.

"I'm glad you told her, son. She needed to know, and Blair doesn't deserve to be led on." My dad said, suddenly coming to life. I jumped.

"Thanks, dad," I answered, catching my breath and clutching my chest. He smiled and I went up to my room, trying to process what just happened.


	6. Five

Five

I woke up gasping for air, and sweaty. I had fallen asleep at my laptop while watching some movie on Netflix.

I looked at my clock. It wasn't even four in the afternoon, yet.

I sat up and tried to make sense of the dream I'd just had.

I was standing in front of Blair, who was tied by her wrists and ankles to an armchair. She looked like she was crying, and every time I tried to step forward to comfort her, to untie her, anything, it felt like someone was holding me back. Then, it felt like I was suffocating. I couldn't find the source of it; all I knew was that I was probably going to die. I'd woken up as soon as I was about to run out of air.

All that was left was for me to figure out what it all meant.

I rubbed my eyes and schlepped down the stairs, wanting to wake up before I thought about anything.

When I got to the bottom, I could already tell something was off.

The door was still shut and locked, and everything seemed untouched. It seemed perfect. "This is a bit _too_ perfect, for my liking." I grumbled as I rearranged some things.

As soon as I turned my back, I heard some rustling. I whirled around to find that what I had "fixed" had been put back in order by some invisible force. I furrowed my brow and scratched my head, trying to figure it all out.

I sighed, shook my head and went into the kitchen to make myself some cocoa. It wasn't even the least bit cold. It wasn't even October, yet. I just wanted some hot chocolate.

I pulled out the cocoa mix and started to heat up the water when someone spoke. "Hey Aidan," I jumped five feet in the air and nearly screamed. "Relax, it's just me." I turned around and saw Blair sitting at the kitchen table smiling. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god, it's just you." I sighed as I clutched my racing heart. She raised an eyebrow at me. "What do you mean, 'it's just me'?" She asked.

 _Oh, shit._ I thought. _How do I explain this situation to her?_ I coughed. "Well, you see, I took a nap and had a bad dream. You were in it. And it freaked me out when I heard someone here and I was worried that it was a really neat thief, or a murderer, or something like that." I answered, rubbing the back of my neck.

She giggled. "It's okay, I get it. I've had those kinds of dreams, too. I've had a recurring one about a wolf, too, ever since I was little; before I even moved here, really." I nearly did a spit-take with my cocoa. "It's always the same. I wake up in a field in a pure-white, floor-length dress. My shoes are gone, my voice is gone, and right away, I can tell something is wrong. I bolt up, look around, and then, I see a pair of glowing green eyes. Then, a wolf emerges from the bushes. I start to back up, but it looks like it's smiling, like it's playing with its food. Then as soon as I find the strength to stand, the wolf pounces on me, crushing me with his weight. And that's when I wake up." She said, her eyes glossed over, her focus transfixed on something else, something inexistent.

I was focused on her…that is, until she noticed. "What?" She asked. "N-nothing, do you want some hot chocolate?" I asked. She smiled, softly. "I'd love some."

We sat on the couch in complete, total, awkward silence as we drank our hot chocolate and watched TV. She set her mug down on the coffee table and wrapped up in a blanket. "You're cold?" I asked. She nodded. "I don't know why. It's only September." She answered.

I was about to put my hand on her forehead to check her temperature, but I didn't even need to. There was enough heat coming off of it for me to already tell that she was sick. "You're burning up. Do you want me to drive you home?" I asked. She shook her head. "I don't think I can stand. My head hurts and I feel like I'm going to puke. Can I just stay here, tonight?" She groaned.

I couldn't help myself. "Of course you can. Do you want me to make you some soup? Get you a glass of water? Can I get you some medicine?" She giggled. "Just a glass of water is fine." I nodded and rushed to get her some water.

When I got back and handed the glass to her, she took one look at me and giggled, again, as she took the glass from me. "What?" I asked, utterly confused.

"I've just never had anyone fuss over me this much, when I'm sick. God knows my mom doesn't do much. All she does is tell me I'll be fine and that I just need to get over it." She answered as she sipped her water. "That's terrible!" It came out before I could stop it.

She nodded in agreement, though. "It is. It makes me wonder why I stuck around all these years." She whispered sadly.

I scooted closer to her on the couch and wrapped my arms around her, enveloping her in a hug. "You can always come to me if you're sick or if you need help. My door is always open, for you." I whispered back.

She put her water down and hugged me back. "Thank you," I blushed. He head was pressed against my chest, and I hadn't been this close to a girl since Lilith.

I pulled away after a few minutes, and as soon as I did, Blair kissed my cheek. "Thank you for taking care of me." She whispered. Then, she fell asleep next to me, her head resting on my shoulder.


	7. Six

Six

I was flipping through the channels on the TV, trying to find something to watch, when Blair rolled over on the couch.

I turned to look at her and smiled at how peaceful she looked. But then, I realized that her face had twisted in pain. She was having a nightmare.

I stood up from my spot on the floor and covered her with the blanket again. "She must've kicked it off in her sleep…" I whispered to myself. Then, I went to the kitchen, wet a hand towel, and gently placed it on her forehead as a cold compress.

After that, I was back to flipping through channels, again, until I found some nineties cartoons.

I was halfway through one of them when my head started hurting. My vision was getting blurry, it felt like my brain was full of TV static, and my ears were ringing.

I shut my eyes, and when I opened them, again, there was the witch, standing over me.

And boy, did she look pissed.

"I _thought_ I told you to _stay away_ from my daughter. What is she doing _here_?" She yelled. "I-I have no idea. I didn't invite her over, I promise. I made myself some cocoa and when I turned around, there she was." I explained.

The witch's mood didn't improve. If anything, it got worse… _way_ worse.

"I'm going to tell you this one last time. Stay _away_ from my daughter." And with that, she vanished, and I blacked out.

I opened my eyes slowly, and at first all I saw was darkness. I was about to panic, thinking I'd gone blind. Then, I realized there was something covering my eyes.

I pulled the blanket off of my face and found myself in my bed with and icepack on my pillow, behind my head.

"How the heck did I end up here?" I grumbled as I rubbed my eyes. "Don't sit up too fast, you hit your head pretty hard." Allen whispered. "You saw?" I asked. "No, I heard your head hit the ground. It was quite a smack, too." He answered. "Blair dragged you up here and put you in bed, then went back for the icepack." My eyes widened.

"She's _that_ strong?" I asked, bolting upright. That was a huge mistake. My head started hurting, again, and my vision went all static. I shut my eyes tight and when I opened them, again, my vision was normal.

"I told you not to sit up too fast, dummy. And, yeah, apparently she is that strong. She's back on the couch, according to dad. She doesn't seem to want to go home." Alan sighed.

I stood up, slowly, and went back downstairs. Blair was lying on the couch with a cup of tea and watching TV. I sat back down on the floor.

"So, did I wake you up?" I asked, staring at my feet. She nodded. "Sorry," I whispered. She sat down next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, really, it is. Don't be sorry for getting hurt. It wasn't your fault." She whispered.

My heart skipped a beat. "H-how do you know that?" I asked, looking her in the eye. She sighed. "My mom does this thing where she intimidates any guy I take interest in. It's _super_ annoying." My eyes widened. "So, you know, then?" I asked. "Do I know that my mom is a witch? Yeah, I do. I'm not, though. I got the recessive "human" gene." She answered.

My heart was beating so loud I could hear it in my ears. She knew? She knew what her mom was doing, and yet, she kept getting involved with me? Was she _nuts_? Did she know I was a _wolf_ too?

I coughed. "So, uh, why don't you want to go home?" I asked. "If I go home, my mom will want to invite Grey over for tea so she can talk about marriage with him and how she wants me to marry a 'respectable boy' instead of…" She cut herself off. "Never mind that last part. Just…just forget I said anything. Can I just stay here, for a while?" She asked.

I sighed. I couldn't let her stay. I'd end up getting killed. But if I put her out, I'd end up getting killed.

Either way was a bad situation to be in.

If I was going to die, I should at least die happy, right?

"Yeah, you can stay, here, for a while. You can sleep in my room, I'll take the couch." I said. She smiled and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, so much, Aidan. You saved my life." She whispered.

My ears and face burned from the kiss, and my heart was racing.

She'd _kissed_ me, she'd really _kissed me_.

I couldn't help but wonder why she would ask to stay in the same house as me, the wolf that she always had dreams about, the beast that terrified her so much, she went on and on about it, while we were just hanging out.

 _I can't tell her,_ I thought, _if I told her, she'd never speak to me, again._


End file.
